Babysitting
by ReganX
Summary: Shalimar and Brennan are away on vacation. Alexis and Isabelle are taking care of Jesse. Takes place just over a year and a half after 'Santa'. Complete.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: **Santa Claus didn't come through. I didn't find the ownership papers of 'Mutant X' under the Christmas tree, so the show and its characters do not belong to me. I own Alexis and Isabelle Fox-Mulwray.

Author's Note: This story is set a little over a year and a half after the events of 'Santa?'. And, for those who requested it, it will include a Jesse/Emma pairing in later chapters.

Author's Note II: At the time of this story, Alexis and Isabelle are aged two years and seven months.

Author's Note III: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed 'Santa?'. As always, your encouragement means a lot to me.

Thanks to brigitta1, bri, canadian-chic14, loveconquers, Telempath, Sunstar2, Shado-Fox, goldstranger, lornein, bs fan, Cecilia, hippiecountrygirl, Mari, rena, mutantjel.

Chapter 1.

Shalimar hummed under her breath as she folded the last of the tops she had selected and packed it neatly in her suitcase.

The trip to Hawaii had been a wonderful idea, although when Adam had presented them with the tickets and hotel reservation, his gift for their third anniversary, she and Brennan had been reluctant to leave their daughters behind. Adam had refused to listen to any refusals, telling them that they needed some time alone and assuring them that the twins would be well cared for and almost ordering them to leave Sanctuary.

They were due to leave for the airport in just under two hours and Shalimar was putting the last touches to her packing.

"What you doing, Mommy?"

She looked up to see her younger daughter, dressed in a pink and white candy striped shirt and a blue denim dress, her long blond hair pulled back in a scrunchie, standing in the doorway.

"Mommy's packing, Izzy." She said, keeping her tone as light as possible. "She and Daddy are going away for a little while."

Isabelle's deep brown eyes filled with tears. "Mommy and Daddy going bye-bye?" Her lower lip trembled.

"Ssh, don't cry, Izzy." Shalimar pleaded, scooping the toddler into her arms and concentrating her energies on trying to soothe her child. "Mommy and Daddy will be back before you know it. And we'll bring you toys." She added coaxingly.

"No wan' toy!" Isabelle pouted. "Wan' Mommy and Daddy!"

"Izzy, sweetheart, you and Lexi are going to be staying here while we're gone. You'll have Grandpa and Uncle Jesse and Aunt Emma to play with. Won't that be nice?"

"No!"

Shalimar sighed. Despite her usual gentle demeanor, her daughter possessed a will of iron.

"Mommy has a special secret to tell you, Izzy lizard." She said temptingly, trying to sound as intriguing as possible. "And a special job for you to do while she and Daddy are away. Would you like to hear?"

Isabelle nodded, mildly interested.

Shalimar whispered a few sentences into her daughter's ear and felt a surge of relief coursing through her when Isabelle's tears ceased to flow.

The little girl was far from happy about the situation, but at least she was willing to accept it.

"Do you want to help me pack?" Shalimar asked gently, setting her daughter on her feet.

Isabelle nodded and quickly absorbed herself in the task of helping her mother stuff the suitcase with many items as the laws of physics allowed.

"Remember, Shal, we're only going for a week." Brennan teased, coming into their bedroom with Alexis perched on his shoulders. "There's no need for you to bring the kitchen sink!"

"I knew that I'd forgotten something." Shalimar quipped sarcastically, motioning Isabelle to sit on the suitcase while she tried to shut it.

"Mommy and Daddy going bye-bye." Isabelle informed her twin solemnly, wanting to share her grief at this outrage.

Brennan and Shalimar held their breaths, waiting for Lexi to commence a lament but she remained surprisingly cheerful.

"Down, Daddy!" Alexis commanded imperiously. As soon as he set her on her feet, she trotted out of the room, returning presently with the bunny shaped backpack that Emma had bought her for her second birthday.

"What's that for, Lexi?" Brennan asked, confused. 

"Me tummin'." She calmly informed him. "Pack." She waited patiently for him to do her bidding. Her face fell when he made no move to comply. "Me an' Izzy tummin'?" Her voice had lost its confidence.

"I'm afraid not, Lexi." Brennan told her gently. "You'll be staying with Grandpa and Aunt Emma and Uncle Jesse. But we'll bring you back a toy."

For the first time, the prospect of a new toy failed to tempt Alexis, who refused to be bought off so cheaply.

"No wan' toy!" She stamped her small sneakered foot for emphasis. "Wan' to tum'!"

"You can't." Brennan told her firmly. "This is special 'Mommy and Daddy' time."

"Lexi wan' to tum'!" 

Brennan and Shalimar exchanged an 'uh-oh' look. 

Referring to herself in the third person was always a danger sign with their older daughter, an indication that what the team had termed a 'Lexi Super Tantrum' was fast approaching. Sparks of electricity flew from the little girl's fingertips and her eyes turned golden yellow as she prepared to throw the mother of all temper tantrums.

"Lexi, honey," Shalimar caught her daughter's hand in hers and knelt down in front of her, pulling Isabelle towards her with her free hand. She hugged both girls to her, arresting the 'Lexi Super Tantrum' before it could begin. She waited until Alexis had calmed down before continuing to speak, in a calm, reasonable tone. "You and Izzy have to stay because I have a very important job that I need you to do for me."

"What?" The prospect of a new activity was enough to distract Lexi, at least temporarily.

"I need you to. . ." Shalimar looked around the room for inspiration. She caught her husband's eye but Brennan just shrugged, unable to come up with anything. Her gaze fell on a framed photograph of herself and Jesse, taken when they were in their late teens, sitting on a shelf. "I need you to take care of your Uncle Jesse for me."

Brennan tried to hide his astonishment. That was the last thing that he had expected her to come up with.

"Grandpa's going to be in the lab a lot of the time," Ignoring her husband's bemused expression; Shalimar soldiered on with her story. "And Aunt Emma will be going out. Someone will have to keep an eye on Uncle Jesse, make sure that he stays out of trouble, eats his lunch. . ."

"Take nap?" Alexis supplemented.

"Of course." Shalimar was relieved to see that she was interested. "You girls will have your work cut out for you. What do you say? Will you babysit Uncle Jesse?"

The twins exchanged a brief conversation before solemnly nodding their assent. 

"We will, Mommy." They chorused, smiling proudly at the thought of their new responsibility.

"That's my girls." Shalimar kissed both of their heads. "Why don't you run along and play while we finish getting ready. And don't forget to take good care of Uncle Jesse."

"We won't." Alexis promised, pulling her twin out of the room after her, cheered up by the prospect of their new task.

Brennan waited until the girls had left the room before giving his wife a quizzical look.

"Babysitting Jesse?"

"It was the first thing that I could think of!" Shalimar defended herself.

He gave her a mock stern look. "You do realize that those two are going to put poor Jesse through Hell, don't you?" He reproved her. "You really are pure evil!" His tone was one of admiration.

Shalimar smiled in satisfaction. "I know."

TBC.

_Next Chapter: The twins get to work. I'll update as soon as I can. In the meantime, please review. _

_More Reviews = Faster Update._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Nothing has changed since I last updated. 'Mutant X' and its characters belong to someone who isn't me and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Lexi and Izzy belong to me.

**Author's Note: **Opinion seems to be divided over whether or not the twins should continue to torture Jesse, so I'm going to compromise; Alexis and Isabelle will torture him for a while, be nice to him for a while and Jesse will get to strangle Shalimar as soon as she comes home.

Words in / / = Thoughts. 

**Chapter 2.**

**_Day One._**

"Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy!" Alexis bounced up and down in Adam's arms as she waved frantically at her parent's fast retreating backs.

"Have a good trip." Adam added, trying to settle the toddler into a more secure position.

Isabelle, cradled in Emma's arms, blew kisses, her small face lighting up when her parents turned around to wave one last time before heading into the garage.

"Have fun." Emma commanded.

"Bring back presents!" Jesse added impudently.

"See you guys in a week." Brennan called before opening the car door for his wife and taking her suitcase. "So how long do you reckon they can last without us?" He asked quietly.

"I give them a day – tops."

* * *

_Lunchtime._

"Open wide!" Alexis commanded, trying to push the spoon into the mouth of a very unwilling Jesse.  

"Lexi. . ." Jesse spluttered as the little girl took advantage of his open mouth and force-fed him a heaped spoonful of the meal that Emma had laid out for them before she left. "Girls, this really isn't necessary." He appealed. "I can feed myself. Honest."

"Ssh, Uncie Jess." Isabelle told him firmly, climbing onto a chair to tie a bib around his neck. "You get messy." She explained, seeing his outraged expression. "Now be good boy an' eat lunch." She ordered him in a patronizing tone.

Seeing that resistance was futile, Jesse obediently sat still and ate the food that Lexi was shoveling into his open mouth, wishing that he had been able to come up with a more convincing excuse not to babysit the twins. For some reason, Adam didn't consider computer games a worthwhile activity and Emma had already escaped to the mall. He prayed that the twins would tire of feeding him before Adam came into the kitchen. He felt that he would die of embarrassment if the older man saw him in his present position.

Fortunately for him, the twins' need to eat their own meals meant that they eventually allowed him to feed himself, on condition that he kept the bib on.

"Eat veg'bles." Isabelle reminded him patiently. The fact that he concentrated on the hamburger and mashed potatoes, carefully avoiding the vegetables as if they were contaminated, had not escaped her notice.

Jesse wrinkled his nose in disgust. No matter how many times he told Emma that he hated broccoli and cabbage, she insisted that they were good for him and served them whenever she could.

"Uh, I really don't like green vegetables much. Could I just eat another hamburger instead?" Jesse appealed to the twins.

They shook their heads firmly, not moved in the slightest by his pleading tone.

"Hafta eat veg'bles." Izzy told him solemnly. "So you gwow big an stwong."

"I'm already big and strong!" Jesse protested desperately.

"Not big like Daddy." Alexis told him scathingly. "Now eat veg'bles or no desser'!" She added sternly, her hands on her hips. The determined set of her chin told him that she was not to be trifled with.

"Aunt Emma put you up to this, didn't she?" Jesse said accusingly. "Or is this your mother's doing?"

Alexis and Isabelle just folded their arms across their chests and shot a pointed look towards his plate, making it clear that they would brook no argument.

_/Great! /_ Jesse thought._ /I'm supposed to be the grownup here and I'm being pushed around by a pair of two year olds! /_

Trying not to gag, he took a bite of broccoli and made a face as he chewed it. It had gone cold, which did nothing to improve its flavour.

Isabelle sighed impatiently, sounding uncannily like Shalimar when she was annoyed by someone or something. 

"Hewe." She took the spoon from him and scooped up some broccoli. Moving it around in the air in front of him, she made a buzzing sound that Jesse assumed was meant to be an imitation of an engine. "Hewe tums aewoplane!" She chanted encouragingly.

Fed up with this nonsense, Jesse clamped his lips tightly shut, refusing to open his mouth, despite Isabelle's alternate cajoling and commands.

He felt a sudden searing pain in his thigh as Alexis shocked him.

He needed no further persuasion.

He obediently opened his mouth and allowed the little girl to cram the food into his mouth.

_/When Shalimar gets back from her vacation, I'm going to kill her! /_ Jesse told himself. _/Slowly and painfully. If she doesn't have something to do with this, I'll eat the Double Helix! /_

* * *

When Adam entered the kitchen in search of a cup of coffee he was greeted by what was probably the strangest and most disturbing thing he had ever seen.

Jesse, with a splattered bib tied around his neck was being force-fed by a grimly determined Isabelle, while Alexis stood next to him, holding a ball of electricity threateningly in one hand, daring him to run away.

When he realized that the older man was watching him, Jesse snatched the spoon from Isabelle's chubby hand and held it in front of his face, as though it could obscure his features.

"Don't look at me!" He shrieked, hiding behind the spoon.

Adam, more freaked out than he had ever been in his life, turned and fled.

TBC.

I know that I'm being very mean to poor Jesse. It's not personal, I've got nothing against the character, he's just so much more fun to torture than Emma would be. Don't worry; the twins (and the author) will eventually start being nicer to him.

I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. Coming Soon: Tea parties and naptime.

Does anyone want me to include a scene of Shalimar and Brennan on their vacation? If so, please review. Ideas for activities for Jesse and the twins will also be welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Since Tribune Entertainment are not prepared to give me the rights to 'Mutant X' in exchange for some magic beans; neither the show nor its characters belong to me. The Fox-Mulwray sisters do.

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all the reviews. Now that I'm on my Christmas holidays, I'll hopefully be able to update more regularly.

Words in / / = Thoughts.

**Chapter 3.**

**_Day Two._**

_Afternoon Tea._

"More tea, Mr Giraffe?" Jesse asked in a high-pitched voice, pouring water into the tiny, delicate pink china cup set in front of the stuffed animal.

"Mither Draffe like sudar." Isabelle reminded him patiently.

"Of course." Jesse was glad that the twins were still too young to recognize sarcasm. Turning politely to the large stuffed giraffe balanced in the chair, a festive ribbon tied around his neck and a baseball cap Jesse recognized as belonging to Brennan perched on his head. "One lump or two?" He asked politely, feeling utterly ridiculous."

"Seb'n." Lexi piped up on Mr. Giraffe's behalf.

"Mr Giraffe is going to end up with diabetes if you're not careful!" Jesse muttered as he started counting out imaginary lumps of sugar. "One. Two. Three. Four. . ."

"Jesse?" 

_/Emma. /_ Jesse thought, wishing that he could phase through the floor of the twins' playroom. _/She's the last person I want to see me like this! /_

"What are you guys doing?" Sensing Jesse's embarrassment, Emma tried to hide the amusement she was feeling.

"Teatime, An' Emma." Isabelle solemnly informed her, holding out a cup. "Hab some." She offered politely.

"Yeah, Emma, come join us." Jesse pleaded, desperate for another adult to distract the twins' attention from him. /_Please! /_ He wished he was able to communicate his need for her company telepathically. _/You can't leave me alone with these sadistic little monsters! /_

"Uh, I don't want to intrude." Emma started backing away, hoping to beat a hasty retreat.

Lexi was having none of that. "Sit!" She commanded, pointing to one of the miniature wooden chairs.

"Hey!" Jesse said reprovingly. "Aunt Emma isn't a dog, you know. Where are your manners? What do we say?" He prompted her. 

"Ow else?" Lexi guessed hopefully.

"Pwease." Isabelle reminded her twin.

Her sister nodded in understanding. "Otay." She turned to Emma with a sweet smile. "Pwease sit, An' Emma." She narrowed her eyes when Emma didn't immediately comply with her wishes. "Now!"

Emma, unable to resist the powerful compulsion planted in her head, felt her legs give way and she landed on the ground with a thud.

"Good." Lexi beamed approvingly.

Emma glared at her. "I think that I'm going to have to have another little talk with you girls about using your powers responsibly."

"You said to pwactice!" Izzy protested, leaping to her sister's defense.

"I didn't mean on me!"

"Here." Standing up, Jesse offered Emma a hand to help her get up off the floor, then he led her over to the low table where the tea set was laid out and held her chair for her.

"So chivalrous." Emma teased, giving Jesse a smile that made his heart beat faster.

Neither of them noticed Isabelle watching them, a thoughtful expression on her cherubic face.

* * *

_Half an hour later._

"Tea was lovely, girls." Emma assured the twins, pushing her cup and plate away.

"Mowe take?" Izzy offered, holding out the small dish of delicacies she and Lexi had prepared in the miniature kitchen Adam had presented them with on their second birthday.

Emma's stomach churned at the mere thought of swallowing another of the twins' toothpaste and strawberry jam concoctions. "No, sweetie, I couldn't eat another bite. _/It's finally happened. / _She thought ruefully_. /We've finally found someone whose cooking is **worse** than Brennan's! /_

"Uncie Jess?" Izzy held out the dish to Jesse, who waved it away.

"No thanks, Izzy lizard. I, uh. . .I don't want to spoil my dinner." He breathed an inward sigh of relief when the toddler accepted his answer and deposited the remaining 'cakes' in the trash. _/If I had to eat another of those awful things, I'd puke! _He told himself. _/I'll have to remember to suggest cooking lessons when Brennan and Shal get back. /_

"So, Jesse?" Emma looked up from her task of clearing away their plates and cups. "Do you want to watch a movie in the rec room? Or we could ask Adam to keep an eye on Lexi and Izzy while we go out to the mall."

"Mall please!" Jesse requested, immediately brightening at the prospect of some time away from the twins – and alone with Emma.

"No." Isabelle shook her head firmly. "No mall for Uncie Dess."

"Why not?" Jesse asked indignantly. "Why can't I go to the mall?"

"It's naptime." Lexi explained patiently, planting her hands on her hips. "You hafta take nap."

"What the. . .? Only Emma's hand over Jesse's mouth prevented a stream of expletives from escaping the long suffering molecular's lips.

Isabelle tut-tutted understandingly. "You tiwed, Uncie Jess." She said sympathetically, patting him as if he were a puppy. "Time fo' nithe nap."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I think they're serious, Jess."

"Naptime?" Jesse's face fell. _/You've got to be kidding me! /_

_* * *_

_Naptime._

"Dewe now, Uncie Jess." Isabelle pushed him down onto his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. "Lie down for nap."

"Izzy!" Jesse sat up in his bed, pushing the duvet away. "I'm a grown man. Only little kids take naps!"

"Dewe, dewe." Izzy crooned, pushing him back with a firm and surprisingly strong hand. "Time yo' nap. You sleepy."

"I'm not sleepy!" Jesse protested. "Did your mother tell you to do this?" He demanded. "Because if she did, I'm going to kill her!"

Isabelle smiled patiently, looking over at her sister, who was rummaging through Jesse's bookshelf. "He cwanky." She planted a motherly kiss on Jesse's forehead. "Time for night-night."

Alexis nodded her agreement. She selected a book and trotted over to the bed, climbing up next to Jesse and motioning for her twin to sit on his other side. "I wead stowy." She informed Jesse, opening the book. She frowned when she saw its contents. "No pictuwes!" She complained, scowling at the pages. "Silly book!" Settling herself comfortably, she cleared her throat before beginning. "Once 'pon a time dewe was a pwince an' a pwincess an' a tween an' a bunny. . ."

Jesse sighed. He knew better than to fight against the twins. He was outnumbered. They would win. He lay back and let Lexi's words wash over him and was dismayed when he felt his eyelids growing heavy.

_/I'll just close my eyes for a little while. / _Jesse told himself._ /When they're asleep, I can sneak away. /_

_* * *_

Ten minutes later, Adam entered the room and found all three of its occupants fast asleep, the twins curled up on either side of Jesse, the forgotten book on the floor.

Moving as silently as possible, Adam covered them with a blanket and stole out of the room without a sound

* * *

_One hour later._

Isabelle was the first to wake up.

After brushing the sleep sand from her eyes and shaking her head to rid herself of the dream images she had picked up from Jesse while he was asleep, she leaned over and shook her sister awake, putting a finger to her lips and leading her to the other side of the room.

"What's wong, Izzy?" A tired Lexi rubbed her eyes and frowned sleepily at her twin.

After making sure that Jesse was still asleep, Isabelle smiled, delighted to be able to share her secret.

"Uncie Jess wants to tiss An' Emma."

TBC.

_For the sake of Isabelle's mental health, Jesse's dream was G-rated, in case anyone asks._

_Next Chapter: The twins play Cupid._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill. Not mine, never will be. I am, however, the proud owner of Alexis and Isabelle.

**Author's Note: **I agree, it's time for the twins to give poor Jesse a break. He's been tortured long enough. There will be no Jesse-torture in this chapter. _*crosses fingers behind back*_ I promise.

**Author's Note II: **I'd like to thank goldstranger and Sunstar2 for their suggestions of a jungle gym and redecorating. I'll definitely be using them. Hmm, I've always thought that the lab was a bit boring. I don't think that I ever did that kind of thing when I was little. I _did _chase the babysitter around the house with a scissors trying to cut off her toes when I was about three, but I think I've given poor Jesse enough pain, for now at least.****

Words in / / = Thoughts.

**Chapter 4.**

**_Day Two._**

_Hawaii, later that night._

It had been a slow night for the small outdoor restaurant but Brennan and Shalimar didn't mind having the place to themselves.

When the owner had heard that it was their third wedding anniversary he had insisted on providing them with a complimentary bottle of champagne and the staff made every effort to make their night enjoyable, catering to their every whim.

The sun was setting and from their table they could see the golden rays sparkling on the ocean.

"This is perfect." Shalimar whispered softly.

"No," Brennan corrected her. "_You're _perfect."

Smiling, Shalimar leaned across the table so that they could share a kiss.

*BEEP. BEEP* 

The loud ringing of Shalimar's cell phone interrupted their reverie.

Sighing impatiently, she answered it.

"Yes!" she couldn't help snapping.

"Shalimar?" Despite the distance, Adam's voice sounded as clear over their secure line as if she had been standing next to him.

"Yes, Adam?" She made an effort to modify her tone. _/This had better be important! /_

"I'm sorry to have to disturb you." His tone was contrite. "But Izzy won't go to sleep until she's spoken to you."

"Izzy?" Shalimar was surprised. _/I would have thought that **Lexi **would be the troublemaker. / _"You'd better put her on."

There was a scuffle on the other end of the line as the phone was eagerly snatched from Adam's hand.

"Hi-hi, Mommy!" Isabelle's voice was bright. "Daddy dere?"

"Yes, Daddy's here. Shouldn't you be going to bed?" Shalimar asked accusingly. "I hope that you're being a good girl for Grandpa."

"'Course." Isabelle waved away her mother's warning. "Want to talk to you."

"What about?" Shalimar asked patiently.

"Well . . ." There was a pause as Izzy turned to whoever was in the room with her. "It's secwet!"

Shalimar smiled as her daughter waited for Adam and the others to clear the room before she would speak. Her daughter loved intrigue. "Can you talk now?" She whispered conspiratorially. "What do you want to tell me?"

"Mommy, guess wat!" Isabelle babbled excitedly. "Uncie Jess wants to tiss An' Emma!"

Great! I've raised a little gossip! / "How do you know that, Izzy lizard?" Shalimar asked suspiciously. 

"Saw Uncie Jess's dweam." Isabelle confessed frankly. "He were tissin' An' Emma."

"You know that you're not supposed to go into people's dreams without asking them first." Shalimar reproved her daughter gently. _/If Jesse has warped my innocent child's mind, I'm going to kill him! /_

Isabelle wisely chose to ignore her mother's rebuke. "Lexi an' me goin' to help." She informed her.

"How?" Shalimar was genuinely bewildered.

"What you an' Daddy doin'? Isabelle asked curiously. "Tissin'?"

"Isabelle Emily Fox-Mulwray!" Shalimar was not a prude by any means, but this was not the sort of question she expected her two and a half year old daughter to come up with.  "What a question!"

"What did she say?" Brennan asked curiously, noticing the faint blush spreading across his wife's cheeks.

Shalimar waved a hand to silence him.

"Well?" Izzy was not satisfied with her mother's mute response. "What you an' Daddy doin'?" 

"Mommy and Daddy are having a nice, quiet romantic dinner together." Shalimar said patiently. "We're on a date."

"Date?" Isabelle repeated the word thoughtfully. "Tissin'?"

"Yes." Shalimar knew her daughter well enough to know that she would persist with her interrogation until she was satisfied with her answers. "Just before you called." She added pointedly.

"Uncie Jess an' An' Emma hab date, dey tiss?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Shalimar narrowed her eyes. "You girls aren't being too hard on your Uncle Jesse are you?"

"No, but he bein' vewy bad. He won't eat veg'bles." The toddler complained. "We send him to his woom?" She asked hopefully.

"No, no. It's okay." _/Jesse is going to have a fit if he ever finds out why he's being tormented. / _"Uncle Jesse doesn't have to eat his vegetables if he doesn't want to."

"Do me an' Lexi?"

"Yes." Shalimar answered firmly, ignoring the little girl's whispered 'No faiw'. "And no shocking!" She warned, although she knew perfectly well that while she was away, nobody would be able to enforce that rule.

"Wan' to say night-night to Daddy." Isabelle demanded, wisely avoiding the issue of shocking.

Shalimar sighed and handed her husband the phone.

"Hey, Izzy lizard." Brennan's voice was cheerful. "Is everyone alright over there?"

"Ess." He could picture his little girl's solemn nod. "Uncie Jess say he's goin' to till Mommy." She added brightly.

"I see." Poor Brennan could not come up with an appropriate response. "Well . . .uh . . .good night, honey. Sleep tight."

"Otie-dotie." Isabelle responded happily. "Night-night, Daddy. Night-night, Mommy!" She raised her voice so that her mother could hear her.

"Goodnight, Izzy." Shalimar hung up the phone and prudently switched it off before turning her attention back to her husband. "Now," Her voice was low and musical. "Where were we?"

* * *

_Sanctuary, same time._

Adam, Emma and especially Jesse were pleasantly surprised and rather relieved when Isabelle cheerfully consented to go to bed as soon as she had ended her call.

"Do you want me to read you a story?" Adam asked, knowing that this was part of their bedtime ritual.

"No t'ank you, Grandpa." Isabelle refused politely before her sister could speak. "We goin' to bed now." Disregarding Alexis's protests, Izzy dragged her twin out of the rec room and into their bedroom.

"Well," Emma was very pleased with this development. "At least they're behaving themselves."

Jesse shook his head, dismayed by her naiveté. "Can't you see?" He asked, almost hating to shatter her innocence. "They're plotting something." He gulped. "I'm a dead man."

TBC. 

_What do you know; I actually made it through the chapter without torturing Jesse. _

_I'll update as soon as possible. _

_Next Chapter: The twins make up for all the pain they've caused their long suffering Uncle Jesse by setting up his first date with Emma._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never will be. Lexi and Izzy belong to me.

**Author's Note: **I'd like to thank bri for her suggestion of a dress-up game. I'm using it in this chapter, but Emma's the one being dressed up.

Words in / / = Thoughts.

**Chapter 5.__**

**_Day Three._**

Their golden heads together, the Fox-Mulwray twins sat huddled in a corner, whispering fiercely, shooting a poisonous glare at the adults who dared intrude.

"Mommy say her an' Daddy hab date." Isabelle explained to her sister. "An' dey tiss."

"What's date?" Alexis asked, perplexed.

Isabelle pondered for a moment. "I tink dat date is dinnew." She said finally. "But wif jus' Uncie Jess an' An' Emma an dey weaw pwitty dwess. We gib Uncie Jess an' An' Emma date, dey tiss."

"Otay." Lexi's cheerful smile gave way to a frown. "How we gib dem date?"

* * *

"Uncie Jess?"

Jesse shuddered inwardly at the sound of the high, singsong voice, and counted to ten before he turned around.

"What is it, Izzy lizard?"

The little girl scowled indignantly, her hands on her hips. "Me Lexi!"__

_/I was afraid of that! / _Jesse thought ruefully. "I'm sorry. What can I do for you, Lexi?"

She held out her hand. "Tum wif me."

Jesse eyed the chubby hand warily, as if he feared that it would bite. "Uh, I'm really busy here at the moment." Jesse tried to back away. "Maybe later." _/Great! Shalimar is giving them ideas for new ways to torment me over the phone now! When she gets home. . . / _Jesse smiled absently as he pictured himself throttling the feral.

"Uncie Jess!" Lexi's tone had turned to a whine. "You hafta tum!"

"No!" He tried to move away.

"Pwease?"

Her plea stopped him dead in his tracks. In the two years since the twins had learned to talk, this was the first time that Jesse had ever heard Alexis Fox-Mulwray use the word 'please' without having to be reminded.

She slipped her small hand in his, looking up at him with a beseeching expression in her deep brown eyes. "Pwease, Uncie Jess?" Her lower lip trembled. "You hafta tum. Me an' Izzy hab nithe suwpise fo' you."

Against his better judgement, Jesse allowed the little girl to lead him away.

_/Man! I am such a sucker! /_

* * *

Aunt Emma was always the easiest person to find, Isabelle reflected.

From babyhood the twins had known that if their aunt was in Sanctuary, she would probably be either on the dojo or by the pond meditating.

Using her inborn feral stealth abilities, Isabelle crept over to the pond and climbed up onto the small raised platform and sat down next to her aunt, crossing her short legs in an imitation of Emma's lotus position, waiting patiently for her aunt to notice her.

Sensing her presence, Emma opened her eyes and smiled at the solemn toddler.

"What's the matter, Izzy lizard?" Unlike Jesse, Emma had no difficulty working out which twin she was speaking to – Lexi could not have sat still for so long if her life depended on it!

"Tum wif me, An' Emma." Izzy's voice was innocent, her eyes wide and appealing. "Lexi an' me hab suwpise fo' you."

Emma knew better than to be taken in by the little girl's angelic expression. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "This isn't some prank you girls have cooked up to torment me, is it?"

"No, An' Emma." Izzy replied earnestly. "It nithe."

Emma scanned the toddler's features, searching for signs of duplicity and finding none.

"Alright." She took the hand Izzy offered her and let the little girl pull her away from the pond. "What is it you want to do?"

* * *

Lexi sniffed Jesse's cologne thoughtfully. "Dis." Her tone was decisive.

Jesse shook his head, bemused. 

Lexi had insisted that he shower and change his clothes and when he had emerged form the bathroom he had found her rooting through his aftershaves and colognes, experimenting with various scents. For the life of him he couldn't figure out what she was up to.

"Is this okay, Lexi?" He asked, obediently sprinkling himself with the cologne she had chosen.

"She regarded him critically for a moment before giving him a broad smile. "Ess. You pwitty, Uncie Jess."

Jesse grinned. It had been a long time since Alexis had said anything positive about him.

_/I just wish that it hadn't been 'pretty'. /_

* * *

"Is this really necessary, Izzy?" Emma asked pleadingly. "I can do this by myself. Really."

"No." The toddler's voice was firm as, with one hand holding Emma's head in position, she applied scarlet lipstick with a generous hand. "Now sit twiet!"

Emma sighed in defeat.

Isabelle seemed to think her utterly incapable of making a decision for herself. She had even laid out the clothes that she wanted her to wear – Emma made a mental note to have Shalimar explain to her daughter that one did _not _wear a red skirt with a hot pink top – and the psionic was convinced that having a two year old check behind her ears to make sure they were clean would never be dethroned as the single most embarrassing experience of her life.

Emma screwed her eyes shut as Isabelle coated her lids with eye shadow. She didn't dare ask what colour. She had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to end up looking like a clown.

"Now," Izzy's voice was cheerful as she started pulling a comb through her aunt's hair. "Wan' a haiwtut?"

_/And we call Izzy 'the quiet twin'! /_

_* * *_

The twins had certainly outdone themselves.

Making full use of their miniature kitchen and the supply of ingredients they had 'found' in various places, Lexi and Izzy had managed to cobble together what they considered to be a good three-course meal.

It was with some feelings of trepidation that Jesse sat down to the child-sized table with an artistically arranged bouquet of weeds for a centrepiece. 

"Dewe." Lexi looked very pleased with herself as she guided Jesse to his seat. "Wan' a dwink?"

"Uh. . .I'll just have some water." Jesse stuttered. Even the Fox-Mulwray twins couldn't do too much damage to _water_.

"Otay." Lexi trotted over to the kitchenette and busied herself with his drink.

"T'mon, An' Emma." 

Jesse looked up to see Isabelle at the doorway, trying to drag a very unwilling Emma into the room. Lexi abandoned her self-imposed bartending duties in favour of grabbing Emma's other hand and between them the little girls managed to pull her over to the table and push her into a chair.

It was very difficult for Jesse to keep a straight face.

Emma's face, thickly coated in bright blue eye shadow and baby pink blush, sporting a wide pair of scarlet lips stretching across her face, could have rivalled that of a demented clown.

Emma glared at him, daring him to laugh. "Don't say a word." She warned. "Don't even think about saying a word!"

* * *

By the time they had managed to choke down the meal the twins had so thoughtfully prepared for them, Jesse and Emma were both planning on killing Adam for giving them their kitchen in the first place.

The meal had begun with a revolting orange juice, chicken broth, milk and sugar concoction the girls had the temerity to refer to as 'soup' and things had gone from bad to worse after that.

Jesse didn't think that he would ever be able to enjoy food of any kind again and Emma looked as if she was about to throw up.

/The worst part / Jesse reflected, as he watched Isabelle hospitably pressing her 'cakes' on Emma. /Is that we can't even be mad at them when they obviously mean well. /

After a few minutes of polite refusals, Emma finally managed to convince Isabelle that she didn't want any more cake.

"I'm full." She said, falling back on the age-old excuse.

Izzy beamed at them. "D'you li' yo' date?" She asked eagerly.

Jesse and Emma exchanged a bemused look.

"Date?"

"Date?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically. "Lexi an' me gib you date." She explained, turning to Jesse. "So you an' An' Emma tan tiss."

"What?!" Jesse could not believe what he was hearing. 

"So you an' An' Emma tan tiss." Lexi repeated helpfully, enunciating every word slowly.

"B-b-but I don't want to kiss Aunt Emma." Jesse stammered, avoiding his teammate's eyes.

"Tourse you do." Izzy said in a matter of fact tone. "An' An' Emma wants to tiss you." She added knowledgably.

_/That's good to know! / _Despite his best efforts, Jesse could not keep the smile off his face at that particular piece of news.

Emma felt her cheeks grow warm under the twins' intense scrutiny.

"So?" Lexi waited impatiently.

Jesse and Emma, both red with embarrassment, exchanged a blank look.

"Tiss An' Emma." Izzy reminded her uncle patiently.

"No!"

Emma shot Jesse an affronted look. _/He didn't have to be quite so adamant about it! /_ She thought huffily.

"Now!" Lexi flashed her eyes feral and scowled at them, a ball of electricity forming in her small hand. "Ow I shock!"

"Mommy say no shock." Izzy reminded her twin patiently.

"Mommy no hewe." Lexi stated grimly, not taking her eyes off the adults.

_/This is so **not**__how I pictured our first kiss! / _Jesse thought unhappily, trying to calculate whether or not the volume of water in his glass would be enough to offset a shock-happy Lexi's powers.

"Tiss!"

Almost as soon as the word was spoken, Jesse and Emma moved closer, as if propelled by an unseen force and the twins watched in awe as their lips met in a long and lingering kiss.

Isabelle turned to her twin, a reproachful expression on their small face. "Not s'pose to use powews to mathe dem do stuff." She reproved.

Lexi just shrugged, a satisfied smile on her face. "I didn'."

TBC.

_Thanks for all your reviews._

_I'll update as soon as I can. If you think Lexi and Izzy are trouble now, just wait and see what they get up to when their babysitters are otherwise engaged._

_Next Chapter: Fun With Decorating.****_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **It's time for me to accept the awful truth; Mutant X and its characters are not mine, nor will they be in the foreseeable future.****

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up. Exams and other school-related stuff have been getting in the way.

Words in / / = Thoughts.****

**Chapter 6.__**

**_Day Five._**__

_Sanctuary, morning._

"Okay guys," Adam poked his head into the rec room where Jesse, Emma and the twins were getting ready to play a game of 'horse-racing' – Emma and Isabelle versus Jesse and Alexis. "I've got a few errands to run in the safehouses. I should be back in a few hours. He gave Lexi, who was kicking her heels into Jesse's sides with repeated exhortations of 'Fas'r', a pointed look. "Behave yourselves."

"Ess, Gwampa." The twins chorused sweetly, giving him their most angelic smiles.

Adam looked up at Emma and Jesse. "Try to keep those two from doing anything _too _outrageous." He beseeched, a half stern, half pleading expression on his face. "I do _not_ want to come home to find this place turned upside down and inside out!"

"You can count on us, Adam." Jesse assured his mentor. "We'll keep them out of trouble."

Adam gave him a sour look. "You damn well better."

* * *

Lexi was not in a good mood.

Midway through their piggy-back race around Sanctuary her mount, fed up with her constant kicking and 'encouraging' electric shocks, had simply stopped dead in the middle of the race track and refused to move another step, allowing Izzy and Aunt Emma to charge ahead of them and win the race.

Alexis Fox-Mulwray was a very competitive young lady who hated to be beaten at anything, even by her twin and she had an unpraiseworthy tendency to hold a grudge against those who had offended her.

She sat in the rec room, glaring at Jesse who was quite unaware of her animosity and was happily curled up with Emma on the couch, watching a movie.

If looks could kill, Jesse would have been fried on the spot yet, to Lexi's disgust, he didn't even have the decency to be put out by her anger.

Emma moved closer to Jesse, tilting her face for a kiss, which he eagerly provided.

When they finally broke away from each other, they were uncomfortably aware of curious eyes watching their every move.

"Hey, Izzy lizard?" Jesse grinned at the inquisitive toddler who was observing his every move with a fascination reserved by most children of her age for the antics of animals at the zoo. "What are you up to?"

"Dwawin'." The little girl beamed up at him, gesturing at the picture she had drawn. "You li'?"

"It's lovely." Jesse said, as sincerely and enthusiastically as he could. He knelt down next to her and squinted at the picture, trying to figure out what it was, but all he could make out were two squiggles, one grey, the other lilac. "What is it?"

"You an' An' Emma." Izzy told him patronizingly, as though it should have been painfully obvious to even the dimmest of individuals. "See?" She pointed a stubby finger at his dark grey shirt then gestured towards the grey blob. "Dat you. An' dat' She pointed at the lilac blob. "An' Emma." She looked up at him with a grin. "You tissin'!"

Jesse and Emma exchanged an 'uh-oh' look.

Nothing seemed to escape the twins' attention and Jesse in particular did not relish the idea of them giving their parents a blow by blow account of every little detail of their encounters.

_/Shal would never stop teasing me about it! / _Jesse thought in dismay, looking at Emma for help.

"Say, girls," Emma's voice was cheerful and enticing. "Would you like to finish your drawings in your room, huh?" _/Please say yes! /_

Lexi considered the proposal carefully for a moment. "Me an' Izzy uthe fing'pain'?" She asked eagerly, determined to get the best bargain possible.

"Sure." Emma smiled brightly, willing to give them whatever they wanted in order to get some privacy. "Knock yourselves out."

"Otie-dotie." The twins chorused, gathering their paper and their crayons and trotting off to their room.

Emma smiled seductively at Jesse. "Alone at last."

* * *

"What we doin'?" After two years and seven months, Izzy knew when her sister was plotting mischief.

Lexi gave her a devilish smirk. "Li' An' Emma said." She giggled. "We pain'in'."

* * *

Jesse broke off the kiss, looking up at Emma with a faintly troubled expression. "Are you sure that we can trust those two to behave themselves?"

Emma smiled at his worried tone. "Come on, Jesse." Her tone was reassuring. "How much damage can they do with finger-paint?"

"Good point." His concerns vanished and Jesse once more pulled Emma into his embrace.

* * *

"Gwampa's lab bowin'!" Lexi complained, setting down the tubs of finger-paint she was carrying.

"Ess." Izzy exchanged a conspiratorial smile with her sister. "We mate it pwitty?"

'Ess." Lexi beamed at her. "Gwampa be vewy happy."

Exchanging a sly grin, the Fox-Mulwray sisters removed the supposedly childproof lids of their paints and got to work.

* * *

_Two hours later._

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Jesse and Emma sprang apart as an angry bellow tore through Sanctuary, rattling the glass panes and leaving both mutants with a slight ringing in their ears.

Within seconds, a paint covered Izzy raced into the room, an equally colorful Lexi hard on her heels.

"Hewp! Hewp! Hewp, Uncie Jess!" Izzy shouted as the twins fled to the safety of Jesse's arms.

Jesse scooped them up, one in each arm, trying to calm them down. "What's the matter, girls?" He asked, finding it difficult to breathe with their arms wrapped so tightly around his neck. "What's wrong?"

"Gwamp gone _cwazy_!" Lexi babbled excitedly, hiding her face in his shirt.

Jesse turned to Emma, concern etched on his face. "Do you think that Charlotte got to him again or something?"

Emma shook her head grimly. "I don't think so." She frowned at the twins. "What have you two done?"

"I'll tell you what they've done!" An angry, red-faced Adam stormed into the room. "They've completely destroyed my lab!"

"An' Emma said to!" Lexi protested, hoping to shift the blame to any head but hers.

Adam glowered at the psionic. "You what?!!"

"I didn't!" Emma glared at the toddlers in Jesse's arms. "I never said a word about Adam's lab."

"You say to pain'." Izzy reminded her.

"You no say whewe." Lexi added cheekily. "An' Gwampa's lab wa' bowin'!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE . . .!"

"Take it easy, Adam." Jesse moved the little girls out of his irate mentor's reach before he could strangle them. "How much damage can they have done?"

* * *

_Two minutes later, Adam's revamped lab._

"It's so sweet!"

Adam just glared at Emma, who had been foolish enough to smile at the sight of his newly decorated lab.

"Sweet?" His tone was incredulous. "You call this sweet?"

"Well . . ."

"I can't see my walls anymore!"

"Dey pwitty now." Izzy reminded him, giving her irate adopted grandfather a sweet smile that could have melted the stoniest of hearts.

Even Adam wasn't completely immune to her charm. His frown softened and Jesse could see a tiny smile tugging at the edges of his mouth.

"Look, Adam." Emma continued, spotting the weakening of his angry resolve. "They've even painted a mural." She squinted. "I'm not entirely sure what they've painted a mural _of_ . . ."

"Dat us." Lexi added helpfully. "Dat Mu'an' Eck."

"See?" Izzy pointed with a chubby forefinger. "Dat Mommy an' dat Daddy an' dewe's Uncie Jess an' An' Emma." She indicated four nondescript squiggles in bright, neon shades. "An' dat Lexi an' me." Two smaller squiggles of the same colour. "An' dat you, Gwampa." She finished, giving him her angelic smile and a wet kiss on the cheek.

"You can't be mad at them, Adam." Jesse said hastily, hoping that Adam would leave it at that. "They meant well."

"Oh, I'm not mad." Adam looked up at the couple with a devilish smile on his face. "At _them_." Jesse and Emma gulped simultaneously. "But you two were in charge and you should have known better than to leave Lexi and Izzy alone with paint of any description. What were you doing anyway?" They both blushed a bright red that told him exactly what they had been up to while he was away. "The way I see it, this mess is _your_ fault. So who do you think is going to have to clean it up?"

* * *__

_One hour later._

_/This sucks! / _Jesse grumbled inwardly as he scrubbed at the walls of Adam's lab, eliminating all traces of the twins' handiwork.

A volley of high-pitched squeals heralded the entrance of a pair of wet, naked toddlers, chased by a very damp and disheveled Emma.

_/I guess I got the better half of the deal. / _Jesse reflected, watching his new girlfriend trying to round up the hyper two year olds.

"How much damage can they do with finger paint, huh?" He couldn't resist the temptation to mock her.

Emma scowled at him. "Very funny." After the struggle of getting the paint-covered twins undressed and into the bathtub, Emma's expression was understandably a little on the sour side.

Lexi exchanged a wicked look with her sister and simultaneously they dipped their hands into Jesse's water bucket, each withdrawing a soapy, thoroughly soaked sponge.

"Wa'ew fi'!"

_/Oh crap! /_

TBC.

_Thanks for all the reviews. And thanks again to Sunstar2 for her redecorating idea._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own Lexi and Izzy Fox-Mulwray. All else belongs to someone who isn't me.  
  
Author's Note: I'd like to thank everyone who was kind enough to review - this story has just passed the 50 review mark, my first big milestone. Thanks guys!  
  
Author's Note II: I'd like to thank goldstranger again for her jungle-gym idea. i've adapted it a little to suit my demented purposes. *Author giggles manically* Jesse and Emma torture!  
  
Author's Note III: Sorry about the formatting, I'm posting this chapter with WordPad and that doesn't have the option of saving in html. format.  
  
Words in / / = Thoughts.  
  
Words in * * = Italics.  
  
*  
  
Chapter 7.  
  
Day Six.  
  
Sanctuary, morning.  
  
"OW! Lexi! Quit it!"  
  
Lexi ignored her uncle's pained protest and continued use his arms as as rungs for the new climbing game she had devised.  
  
"Twiet, Uncie Jess!" She rebuked him sharply. "Me twyin' to tontentay!"  
  
The twins had woken Jesse up a lot earlier than he would have liked - at twenty to six in the morning, to be precise - and had then proceeded to rope him into helping them construct an elaborate obstacle course consisting of chairs purloined from the lab - thankfully, Adam had still been asleep, hula hoops, skittles and, for some horrible reason Jesse did not even want to contemplate, all the basketballs the Fox-Mulwray sisters could get their hands on.  
  
Emma, who was less than amused at being dragged from her warm bed at such an ungodly hour, was assigned the task of holding two of the hula hoops at arms length, suspended about twelve inches from the ground for the first part of the twins' game.  
  
The two adults knew better than to try to appeal to Adam to put a stop to an activity that was highly likely to end in tears - probably theirs! Although poor Jesse had spent a good three hours restoring Adam's lab to it's former, immaculate condition, the leader of Mutant X was still decidedly miffed about the twins' decorating antics and Jesse and Emma knew that they could not expect any sympathy from the older man.  
  
Izzy finished her task of laying the skittles in two orderly rows and looked up at her sister with a solemn nod.  
  
"Me weady!" She called.  
  
"Otay." Lexi let go of Jesse. "You stan' ober dewe!" She commanded, pointing to a spot behind Emma, where the basketballs were stacked in a tidy pile.  
  
Jesse gulped and reluctantly obeyed, moving to the spot indicated before Lexi had a chance to shock him into complying.  
  
Lexi and Izzy moved to the beginning of their bizarre obstacle course, each taking up her position in front of the line of skittles.  
  
Izzy smiled up at Emma. "You say 'go' An' Emma."  
  
Emma raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Go?"  
  
The twins took off.  
  
Using their feral speed and coordination, they skillfully wove through the lines of skittles and were neck and neck as they approached Emma and the hula hoops.  
  
Because of their feral abilities, the twelve inch jump was no problem for the two toddlers.  
  
It probably would have been better, however, if they had jumped through *different* hoops.  
  
Their collision didn't trouble the twins in the slightest. Picking themselves up off the floor and shaking off the attentions of an anxious Emma, they proceeded to the next leg of their journey, agilely jumping from chair to chair until they reached the pile of basketballs.  
  
Jesse knew what was coming.  
  
A well-aimed throw from one of the twins - he couldn't tell which but he was willing to bet that it was Lexi - winded him and when he bent over said twin leapt onto his back, scrambling up until she was perched on his shoulders.  
  
Izzy (Admit it, you all thought that it would be Lexi) clapped her hands in glee. "I win!"  
  
Lexi, frustrated to have lost their race, scowled briefly before congradulating her twin.  
  
Jesse, still out of breath, shot Emma a pained look.  
  
/What on Earth are these kids going to do to me next?! /  
  
* * *  
  
"They're probably just energetic." Adam had shown no sympathy when Jesse and Emma had brought their tale of woe to him. It might have had something to do with the fact that it was half past seven on a Saturday morning and Adam hadn't had his coffee yet. "You should know better than to encourage them in their antics." He added severely.  
  
"Encourage them?" Emma was incredulous.  
  
"Do you *want* to unleash a 'Lexi Super Tantrum'?" Jesse asked scornfully.  
  
Adam ignored Jesse's very reasonable question. "They've been cooped up in Sanctuary since Shalimar and Brennan left." He added thoughtfully.  
  
"When are they back?" Jesse interrupted eagerly.  
  
"The day after tomorrow." Adam frowned at the younger man. "As I was saying," He continued. "Lexi and Izzy are probably just bored. There's only so much that they can do here. Maybe you should take them out. To the park, perhaps."  
  
Remembering what had happened when he had taken baby Shalimar out, Jesse regarded his mentor doubtfully. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Of course." Adam smiled genially. "I think that it would be good for all of you."  
  
"I guess." Jesse's tone was doubtful. He brightened suddenly. "At least there's one consolation - if anyone tried to snatch those two, they'd be begging us tto take them back within five minutes!"  
  
* * *  
  
Three hours later.  
  
After more than two hours of playing on the swings, the seesaw, the monkey bars and the jungle gym, Lexi and Izzy were still full of energy and ready for more.  
  
Jesse found himself missing the days of baby Shalimar. At least there had only been one of her.  
  
Keeping a watchful eye on the twins, who were currently absorbed in building what Izzy called 'de bigges' san' cas' in de wowd', Jesse and Emma settled down on one of the park benches, shaded by a large tree and made the most of the opportunity to continue their much interrupted make-out session.  
  
* * *  
  
"Uncie Jess?"  
  
Jesse and Emma sprang apart at the sound of Lexi's voice.  
  
"What is it, honey?" Jesse asked, wiping at his mouth and hoping against hope that none of Emma's lipstick had rubbed off on him.  
  
"Me an' Izzy hungwy!" She complained, sticking out her bottom lip and assuming a pathetic facial expression.  
  
Emma smiled at the toddler. "What would you like to eat?"  
  
"Izzy wan' a ho' dod." Lexi shot her guardians a sly smile. "Me wan' tandy."  
  
"No!" The two adults answered as one.  
  
"Me wan' tandy!" Lexi glared at them.  
  
"You can't have candy." Emma knew better than to give either of the twins sugar of any shape or form unless Shalimar was present to control the mayhem that inevitably followed.  
  
"LEXI WAN' TANDY!!!"  
  
The other adults in the playground were shooting disapproving looks at them and Lexi, conscious of their attention, continued to scream as if she was being brutally murdered.  
  
"Okay, okay, okay." Jesse held up a hand, trying to halt Lexi's tirade. "I'll get you some candy, okay?" Emma shook her head reprovingly. "But," /Revenge is going to be sweet! / "You have to wait until Grandpa is taking care of you before you can eat it."  
  
"Otay." Lexi agreed cheerfully. "Me wan' ho' dod too."  
  
"Fine." Jesse was relieved to have averted a tantrum.  
  
Lexi ran over to get Izzy, who was happily decorating the rather lobsided sandcastle with a collection of leaves, twigs and stones and dragged her back to where Jesse and Emma were waiting.  
  
"Come on." Jesse took Izzy's hand, leaving Lexi to Emma. "Let's get some food."  
  
* * *  
  
Fifteeen minutes later, the parking lot.  
  
"Well, well, well." An unpleasantly familiar voice halted them before they could climb into the car. "Fancy meeting you all here." Eckhart, flanked by two GSA agents, greeted them with a humourless smile. "I come here looking for a rogue mutant and instead I manage to net two fifths of the Mutant X motley crew and. . ." He looked down at the twins. "I don't believe that I've met these two young ladies. They're not yours, are they? No." He answered his own question, studying the two little girls carefully. "They have rather a look of Miss Fox about them. How did you two manage to slip through my radar." He bent down, giving the twins a thin, fishy smile. "Do you know who I am?"  
  
"Girls," Jesse hissed frantically. "He's a bad. . ."  
  
"Funny twown!" Izzy clapped her hands in excitement, delighted by the sight of Eckhart's slightly unkempt white hair and pale face, equating him with an illustration in one of her storybooks. "Look at de funny twown, Lexi."  
  
"Funny-fun!" Lexi grinned.  
  
"How dare you!" Eckhart was furious at this lack of respect for his person. One of the agents next to him was tittering softly. "I am not a clown!"  
  
"Ess you awe!" Lexi told him firmly.  
  
"Dance, funny twown!" Izzy ordered, skipping in excitement.  
  
Against his will, Eckhart felt his legs obeying her command and, to his dismay he found that he couldn't bring his body back under his control.  
  
"Sing!" Lexi called to the two agents, who obediently began to hum a tuneless accompaniment to Eckhart's bizarre dance.  
  
Jesse and Emma, torn between humour and horror, regarded the scene for a few moments before snatching the twins up and, disregarding their protests that they wanted to stay and watch the 'clown', thrusting them into the car and driving away as soon as possible.  
  
The minutes that passed before the effects of the twins' commands wore off were the longest of Eckhart's life.  
  
He couldn't remember ever feeling such relief as he did when he finally regained control of his body.  
  
He glared at the agents, daring them to laugh. They knew better.  
  
He looked at the spot where the car carrying Emma, Jesse and the twins had been and ground his teeth in frustration before turning to his unfortunate lackeys.  
  
"I want those children!"  
  
* * *  
  
As soon as they were a safe distance away from the parking lot Jesse stopped the car and buried his face in his hands.  
  
"Jesse?" Emma was alarmed. "What's wrong?"  
  
He looked up at her, his eyes shining. "Don't say anything." He pleaded. "I want that scene permanatly ingrained in my memory. I don't ever want to forget the look on Eckhart's face when. . ." He turned and leaned into the back seat, kissing each of the twins in turn. "I love you guys!"  
  
Lexi and Izzy exchanged a bewildered look, unable to understand why the clown's dancing could have thrilled their uncle to such an extent.  
  
Grown ups were weird!  
  
*  
  
TBC.  
  
Apologies to anyone who thought the bit with Eckhart was over the top. I wanted to introduce him to the twins.  
  
Please keep up the reviews. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **'Mutant X' and it's characters belong to someone who isn't me. Alexis and Isabelle Fox-Mulwray are the products of my twisted mind.

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all the reviews. There's only a couple of chapters left of this story so if anyone wants a sequel, please say so. I was thinking of doing a story with Adam, Nicholas and the twins.

Words in / / = Thoughts.

**Chapter 8.**

**_Day Six._**

_An hour later, Sanctuary._

"You should have seen his face, Adam!" Jesse crowed happily. "I thought I was going to wet myself I was laughing so hard! Eckhart looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. I just wish that I'd brought my camcorder! It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life!"

"You have said that at least fifteen times since you got back!" Adam snapped peevishly. "I assure you that my memory is not _that _poor! Can't you talk about something else for a change?"

Jesse stuck his tongue out. "You're just jealous that you missed it!" He taunted.

Adam scowled, unwilling to acknowledge the truth of the younger man's statement.

"I'm telling you, Adam," Jesse still had a wide, slightly goofy smile spread across his face. "I could have kissed them! I don't think that anything they ever do will annoy me after this!"

"Uncie Jess!" Izzy's voice cut into Jesse's reverie. "Time fo' yo' baf!"

Jesse swore under his breath. "Oh man!" He lamented, turning to Adam with a stricken look on his face. "I thought that, with all the excitement, they had forgotten their little 'Torture Uncle Jesse' game. I wonder what put it into their heads again. Ten bucks says that Shalimar called them and reminded them!"

"Uncie Jess!" Izzy marched into the room and, with her hands on her hips, fixed Jesse with an impatient frown. "We wai'in!" She scolded.

Jesse, knowing that he would get no sympathy from Adam, allowed the toddler to drag him out of the lab towards his bathroom.

If he had stayed any longer he would have seen the sly, satisfied smirk on Adam's face.

_/This'll teach Jesse not to make fun of me! /_

_* * *_

_/I don't care how funny Eckhart's clown dance was! / _Jesse thought viciously as he towelled himself off.  _/Those little monsters are starting to get on my last nerve! /_

Izzy had marched the unfortunate molecular to the bathroom where Lexi had filled the bathtub with lukewarm sudsy water, complete with an assortment of rubber ducks, plastic submarines and various other toys the twins had thoughtfully provided for his amusement.

He had been ordered to climb into the tub – fully dressed, as, to quote Lexi, 'Yo' twothes diwty too' – and scrubbed within an inch of his life by the enthusiastic toddlers.

_/Forget strangling Shal – as soon as she gets back, I'm going to drown her! /_

To his relief, the twins were fully prepared to allow him to go out with Emma, although they had warned him not to be out past his bedtime and Adam would have to deal with them, at least for a few hours.

* * *

After they had finished giving their Uncle Jesse his bath, the Fox-Mulwray sisters retired to their playroom, armed with the candy Jesse had bought them and proceeded to stuff their faces.

Jesse had been so pleased with them for humiliating Eckhart that he had stopped off at the nearest store and bought out half the store. The bags of candy he had presented them with had astonished even Lexi and both girls were making a determined effort to polish them off before one of the adults had a chance to confiscate their stash.

Izzy didn't last very long.

Before she had managed to finish a third of her candy her little stomach began to protest.

"Hewe." She handed the bag to her sister, the sweet tooth of the family, who was completely undaunted by the prospect of consuming her body weight in sugar. "You fin'. I no hungwy."

Lexi eyed the proffered bag greedily. "You suwe?"

"Ess." Izzy pushed the bag into her twin's hands. "You eat."

Lexi needed no further persuasion.

After graciously accepting the candy she flashed her twin a smile and continued her gorging process.

* * *

"ALEXIS MARIE FOX-MULWRAY!" Adam nearly had a heart attack when he emerged from his lab to find a blonde two year old scaling the walls of Sanctuary. "You get down from there this minute, young lady!"

The toddler stuck her tongue out at him. "Me Izzy!"

"I don't care who you are." Adam told her sternly. "You get down from there right now!"

"Hafta tatch me fiwst!"

Shooting him a cheeky grin, Izzy jumped down and took off.

Adam chased after her, knowing in his heart that his pursuit would be in vain. The little girl had feral speed on her side and, even with her short legs, she could run circles around her adopted grandfather.

Being a genius, Adam knew exactly who to blame for his difficulties.

_/Jesse Kilmartin, you are a dead man! /_

_* * *_

_An hour later._

It had taken the best part of an hour for Izzy's sugar high to wear off, during which time Adam had had to deal with a small child tearing around Sanctuary, turning the place upside down and occasionally stopping in her mad dash long enough to pelt him with whatever objects were closest to hand.

By the time she had stopped, Adam's face was red with exertion and he was breathing heavily.

_/I definitely need to work out more! /_

Izzy, on the other hand, was as calm and collected as if nothing untoward had happened.

After leading Adam in a merry chase around Sanctuary, she trotted off to the rec room, unearthed her crayons and a few sheets of paper and was soon happily immersed in her drawing.

One look at her sticky fingers and the telltale ring of powdered sugar around her mouth was enough to confirm Adam's suspicions.

"Izzy?" 

She looked up at him with an adorable, angelic smile. "Ess, Gwampa?"

"Where did you get that candy?"

"Fwom Uncie Jess." Izzy beamed up at him. "He gabe Lexi an' me lot' o' tandy an' say to ea' it wen you wif us." She tattled shamelessly.

"I see." Adam mentally plotted a dozen ways of making the younger man suffer.

"I no hungwy." Izzy continued her prattling as she added another squiggle to her masterpiece. "So I gabe Lexi res' o' my tandy."

Adam's eyes grew wide with horror.

"Where is Lexi now?" _/That child gets into enough mischief **without **a sugar high! /_

Izzy shrugged. "Dunno."

Adam's anxiety over the toddler's whereabouts was relieved when the little girl staggered into the rec room, clutching at her stomach.

"I feels thitck!" Lexi announced with a groan before regurgitating every morsel she had eaten.

Adam looked down at his stained shoes and swore inwardly.

_/I hope that Brennan and Shalimar enjoyed their vacation. / _He thought grimly._ /Because they're not leaving again until these two are eighteen! /_

TBC.

_Sorry for the delay in updating. I hope everyone liked this chapter. Please keep the reviews coming._

_Next Chapter: Movie Night at Sanctuary. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **'Mutant X' and its characters = Not mine. Lexi and Izzy Fox-Mulwray = Mine.

Words in / / = Thoughts.

**Chapter 9.**

**_Day Seven._**

_Sanctuary, noon._

"Okay, on a scale of one to ten, exactly how angry do you think Adam is with me?" Jesse asked nervously, turning to Emma with an appealing expression in his blue-gray eyes.

"Oh, I'd say at least seventy five . . .million." Emma couldn't help but be amused by the crestfallen expression on Jesse's face. "Jess, you stuffed the twins with candy and left him to deal with it. Lexi puked all over him! You're just lucky that Adam is too busy bickering with Nicholas and that he doesn't have the time to kill you."

Jesse gulped. "I hope that Nicholas never leaves."

* * *

"So, Adam, are my granddaughters behaving themselves?" Nicholas placed special emphasis on the word 'my'. "Or are they too much for you to handle?" His tone held a definite note of scorn.

_/Doesn't this jerk **ever** change his theme! / _Poor Adam felt like pummeling the other man. While Nicholas's regular visits to Sanctuary were never something that he enjoyed, they were a hundred times worse without Shalimar's restraining presence. When his daughter was gone, Nicholas didn't even trouble to hide his obvious contempt for the man that he felt had usurped his place as a father.

All out war was prevented by the timely arrival of the twins, neatly dressed in candy striped polo shirts and denim dungarees, their long blond hair pulled back with matching scrunchies.

"Hi Gwampa!" The twins hugged Adam's legs so tightly that he thought his circulation would be cut off. 

"Hi girls." Adam bent down and scooped a toddler in each arm.

"Hi Othe' Gwampa." From their perch in Adam's arms, Lexi and Izzy waved at Nicholas.

Despite the repeated attempts of their parents, the twins would not be persuaded to drop Nicholas's title and insisted on continuing to address him as 'Other Grandpa'. Adam priovately suspected that they enjoyed tormenting the other man with a name he so obviously disliked.

"Hey girls," Grinning broadly, Nicholas reached into his pocket and produced two candy bars. "Look what I've brought for you."

The two little girls promptly burst into tears.

Nicholas looked up at Adam, bewildered. "What?"

* * *

_An hour later._

After a few minutes of cuddling and assurances that 'Other Grandpa' _wasn't _trying to poison them, Lexi and Izzy eventually calmed down.

Once they had stopped crying, the two toddlers had dragged their grandfathers, both biological and adopted, into the rec room where both men were ordered to sit still so that Isabelle could paint their portrait.

Half an hour and two red squiggles later, the twins were bored and hungry.

Jesse was called to 'tum fo' yo' lunch' and the party retired to the kitchen.

"Uh, girls?" Nicholas was convinced that he had fallen into the company of complete lunatics. "Why are you putting a bib on Jesse?"

"Tos' he ma' mess." Lexi rolled her eyes at her grandfather's stupidity.

"It's best not to question their motives." Emma whispered, deadly serious.

"Yeah." Jesse coughed as Lexi tied the strings of his bib a little too tightly. "It just makes things worse."

"Lexi an me takin' tare o' Uncie Jess." Izzy explained. "He tan ea' by hisself 'f he weaw he bib."

"I see." Nicholas raised a questioning eyebrow in Jesse's direction. "Why exactly are they taking care of you?"

"Mommy say too." Lexi informed him, giving Jesse a maternal pat. "Now ea' yo' lunch!"

"I knew it!" Jesse crowed triumphantly. "When Shalimar gets back tomorrow she is a dead woman! I'm going to . . ." He trailed off, seeing the poisonous glares that Shalimar's two father figures were shooting him. "Never mind." Miffed at the thought of losing his chance of revenge, Jesse sulked for a moment before inspiration struck. He beamed at the twins. "Hey girls, how about after dinner we all watch a video together?"

_/I'm damned if I'm going to miss this chance! /_

* * *__

_A little later._

"Hewe, Uncie Jess." Lexi trotted up to her uncle and heaped a small pile of videotapes in his lap.

"Gee, thanks." Jesse gave the little girl a questioning look. "What are these for?"

Lexi sighed impatiently. "You say we wat' bidee-oh." She explained slowly, wondering if everyone over the age of three was completely dense. "So I bwing you bidee-ohs."

"Uh, great."

"Mommy hab dem hidded." Lexi added brightly.

"Really." Jesse looked down at the tape in his hand, marked with his name and the word 'Blackmail', feeling as if all his birthdays and Christmases had come at once. He leaned over and kissed the little girl's chubby cheek. "I knew that there was a reason I liked you!"

_/Time to kiss your leverage goodbye, Shal! /_

* * *

_Three hours later._

The six of them sat in silence for a few minutes after the last of Jesse's 'Baby Shalimar' tapes ended.

"Wow." Nicholas was the first to find his voice. "I guess I'm not the only one who can tease Shalimar about changing her diapers. Man!" He chuckled. "I'd almost forgotten about how much of a handful she used to be! There was a time once when she. . ." Jesse leaned forward, eager for more blackmail material and Adam and Emma listened attentively.

The twins stared at the screen, transfixed.

"Mommy wath funny!" Izzy burbled happily, turning to her twin.

"Yeah." Lexi looked rather glum.

"Wat's wong, Lexi?"

"I with Mommy wa' still litt'e, li' us. Den we cou' pway wif' hew."

Jesse overheard Lexi's last statement and shuddered.

Two infant terrors were bad enough.

_/Three would be a total nightmare! /_

TBC.

_Sorry this chapter is so short and boring. I've been swamped with school related stuff. I'll update as soon as I can._

_Next (And last) Chapter: The Homecoming._


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill - 'Mutant X' and it's characters = Not Mine. Lexi and Izzy Fox-Mulwray = Mine.

**Author's Note: **I'd like to thank all my reviewers for their encouragement. A big thank you to Sunstar2, Feline-Feral, PeTiTeCaT, brigitta1, goldstranger, Lgbabyblu, candian-chic14, Mari, bri, loveconquers, Telempath, shalimar13, freespirit127, Amanda, hippiecountrygirl, tigereyes320, mutantjel, Cici, Shado-Fox and Feral's Revenge.

**Author's Note II: **For those who asked, there will be a sequel to this story, probably set when the twins are three and tentatively titled 'War of the Grandpas'. Suggestions/requests for activities will be welcome.

Words in / / = Thoughts.

**Chapter 10**

**_Day Eight._**

_Afternoon._

"A little more to the left - Stop that's too far! A little higher . . .A little higher . . .Perfect!" Emma beamed in satisfaction.

"They've only been gone a week, Em!" Jesse objected as he pinned the 'Welcome Home' banner Emma had insisted on making to the wall. "Anyone would think that they'd be gone for a month!"

"Come on, admit it." Emma chided him. "You're looking forward to seeing them."

A grin spread across Jesse's face as he remembered what he had planned as a 'welcome home' gift for Shalimar. "I can't wait to see her face when she finds out that Lexi, Izzy and her dad have seen that tape!"

"You do realise that she is going to kill you for that."

"Hah!" Jesse scoffed. "I can take her!" Emma gave him a sceptical look. "Okay, maybe not. But it was worth it. And I got loads of great stories from Nicholas. You know," He paused thoughtfully. "I'm starting to think that we got off easy when Shal was a baby. I can't wait to embarrass her!"

Emma smiled indulgently. "I know. I just hope that you live long enough to tell your stories."

"Alright, where do you want these?" Nicholas's voice was muffled by the armload of balloons he was carrying.

At Emma's pointed look, Jesse relieved the older man, who had stayed in Sanctuary overnight so that he could be there to welcome his daughter back, of his burden and started to stick them to the wall, framing Emma's banner.

"Mommy an' Daddy tummin' home thoon! Mommy an' Daddy tummin' home thoon! Mommy an' Daddy tummin' home thoon!" Izzy was dancing around the three adults, singing happily. She stopped skipping and looked up at Jesse with a frown. "You no be vewy good, Uncie Jess." She reproved sternly, her hands on her hips. "You no ea' veg'bles ow take yo' nap. Mommy be vewy twoss wif' you. Bu' she be vewy happy you an' An' Emma tiss."

Jesse looked over at the chuckling Nicholas with a glare. "You think that this is funny?" His tone was indignant. "Do you have any idea what your daughter has put me through during this past week?"

"She wasn't even here!" Nicholas protested on behalf of his absent daughter.

"No." Jesse gave Izzy a dirty look. "She just had her lackeys do her dirty work for her."

"What do you expect me to do about it, son? I think that Shalimar's a little too old for me to put across my knee."

The sharp *POP* of a balloon exploding saved Jesse from having to reply.

A delighted giggle told him who the culprit was.

He glared at Lexi who was forming a small ball of electricity with the intention of bursting a second balloon and groaned when he saw Izzy following her sister's example.

_/That's it! I'm never babysitting for these little monsters again! /_

* * *

_An hour later._

At the twin's insistence Jesse, under threat of having 'Mommy till you when she tum home, was ordered to take his nap after a lunch eaten under the twins' eagle eyes.

Lexi and Izzy, blissfully unaware of the fact that they were sealing their mother's doom, tucked him into his bed with stern orders to sleep, then took up position on guard outside his door to make sure that he couldn't escape.

Izzy shook her head sorrowfully, turning to her twin with a sigh. "Uncie Jess is bein' vewy bad boy."

"Ess." Lexi nodded emphatically. "I be vewy happy when Mommy tum home an' we no hab to tate tare o' him."

"He twoub'e." 

Lexi nodded her assent. "We neber bab'sittin' fo' him adain."

* * *__

In his lab, Adam couldn't help but feel slightly guilty that he had reminded Lexi and Izzy of their babysitting duties.

It wasn't that he regretted encouraging them to torment Jesse – he would do that again in a heartbeat – but he felt a pang of guilt that Shalimar was being blamed for it.__

_/Maybe I should tell Jesse the truth. / _A mental image of the molecular beating him to death with a massed fist pushed the noble impulse from his mind. _/On second thoughts, Shal can take him. /_

*  * *

An aeroplane, somewhere in the sky. The same time 

"Uh, Shal?" Brennan gave his wife a dubious look. "Maybe you shouldn't . . ."

"Come on!" Shalimar rolled her eyes. "What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

_Sanctuary._

_A few hours later._

"Anyone home?" 

Emma came running at Brennan's cheerful call.

"What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to get back for another two hours?" 

Brennan grinned. "It's nice to see you too."

"Brennan!" Jesse followed Emma into the hall. "Welcome back, man."

"DADDY!" Two ecstatic toddlers ran forward and attached themselves to their father's legs.

"Whewe my toy?" Lexi demanded, getting straight to the point.

Brennan grinned, amused by his eldest daughter's single-mindedness. "It's in my bag, Lexi, I'll get it for you soon."

Lexi pouted in disappointment, but made no objection.

"Welcome back, son." Nicholas appeared and pulled his son in law into a hug. "Did you have a good trip?"

"Where's Shalimar?" Adam, the last to join the group, asked, a touch of anxiety in his voice."

"Mommy?" Izzy's deep brown eyes filled with tears. "Whewe Mommy? Mommy no tummin' home?"

Brennan scooped his little girl into his arms. "It's alright. Don't cry, Izzy lizard. Mommy's in the car. Airplane food." He explained, looking up at the adults. "I warned her not to eat it. She's been throwing up ever since." He turned to Adam. "Maybe you oughta check her out. You never know what kind of crap they give you."

"I'll get her." Jesse volunteered, tearing off before anyone could stop him.

"Daddy?" Izzy tugged insistently at her father's shirt. "Uncie Jess goin' to till Mommy." She confided cheerfully.

Brennan's expression was one of alarm as he looked after the molecular. "She's joking, right?" He appealed to the other adults. His face dropped when they shook their heads. "Here." He tried to hand Izzy to Emma. "I'd better go break them up."

"No." Emma shook her head decisively. "Jesse's been planning his revenge all week. I won't let you stop him."

A scream rang through Sanctuary.

"JESSE! NO! NOT THE HAIR!"

Adam and Nicholas tore off, racing to Shalimar's rescue.

Brennan looked over at Emma.

"Aren't you going to stop them?"

Emma looked at him as though he were insane. "Are you kidding me? This is the first time in more than three years that I have seen them work together. I don't want to discourage them. Besides," She smiled. "I don't want to mess with Adam and Nicholas when they mean business."

She followed the two older men, hoping to catch the end of the show.

Sighing, Brennan scooped Lexi up in his other arm.

"We'll be lucky if there are no broken bones!" He frowned at his daughters. "I can't leave you two alone, can I?"

"Nope."

"Nope."

THE END.

_Author's Note: Let's face it, Jesse would never be able to beat Shalimar unless she was asleep or sick._


End file.
